Former Assam CM Gogoi hits out at govt for slapping cases against protesters

Former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Friday slammed the Assam government for booking Sahitya Akademi awardee Dr Hiren Gohain and two others under sedition charge and said it shows "police raaj" is going on in "Hitler-Mussolini's rule".

During the day, a delegation under the leadership of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee Ripun Bora visited Gohain's home and expressed solidarity with the erudite scholar. "Slapping of sedition case on Gohain and others for speaking against the Citizenship Bill is exploitation by the government. It is a misuse of power by bringing police raaj," Gogoi told reporters here. Despite the government's blatant misuse of power to suppress peoples' voice, this movement against the Bill will not stop, he added.

"It is as if Hitler-Mussolini's rule is going on here. The government is completely ignoring the people. Assamese people are simple, but not weak. No one can scare them.It is foolish to think the Assamese people can be controlled," the senior Congress leader said. The Gauhati High Court Friday granted interim bail to Gohain and KMSS Adviser Akhil Gogoi, while absolute bail to senior journalist Manjit Mahanta in the sedition case filed by police over their remarks against the Citizenship Bill.

"Hiren Gohain is not an anti-national. He always speaks for the country. We strongly condemn the government for their such dictatorial attitude. I will go and meet him this evening and express my support. "If he is arrested, I will go and protest. In fact, entire Assam will burn then. Do you (government) want to pacify or burn the state?" Gogoi said. In the morning, Bora and the APCC team met Gohain at his home and demanded the government to withdraw the case immediately. "The (Sarbananda) Sonowal government should apologise to Gohain Sir for such an unacceptable case. We demand that the case is withdrawn at the earliest," Bora told reporters.